The Experiment on Physics of Colloids in Space (EXPPCS) wrapped up a 96-hour run last weekend and went immediately into a 12-hour run on Monday, October 15. It conducted a 24-hour run on Tuesday, October 16, remixing the colloid-polymer gel sample to study the gelation process with a low-angle dynamic light scattering process and continuing to measure the colloidal glass sample. The payload team conducted additional 12-hour runs on Wednesday and Thursday, with another planned for Saturday, October 20, continuing to focus mainly on the colloidal-polymer gel sample with some occasional measurements taken on the colloidal glass sample. Colloids are found in many everyday products on Earth and used in many other manufacturing processes ranging from polishing computer chips to removing bitter tastes from fruit juice. This basic research, developed by Harvard University and managed by NASA's Glenn Research Center, could contribute to the engineering of new materials.

Before both spacewalks, cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Turin and astronaut Frank Culbertson tested themselves as part of the Pulmonary Function in Flight (PuFF) experiment. The two Russian spacewalkers also tested themselves after their spacewalks. Culbertson tests himself monthly to obtain baseline measurements for the crew. Crew members are scheduled to conduct the PuFF tests again before and after a planned November 5, spacewalk by Dezhurov and Culbertson. Scientists at the University of California, San Diego, are looking for any changes in lung anatomy or performance caused by spacewalking or the microgravity environment aboard the Space Station.

The Station's vibration measuring experiments, the Space Acceleration Measurement System and the Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System - also managed by the Glenn field center, recorded during a pair of Russian spacewalks on October 8 and October 15 and were expected to record data during the October 19 Soyuz spacecraft relocation activities. Scientists use this kind of information to understand the performance of experiments requiring a quiet microgravity environment.

Following a camera changeout by Culbertson, the Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students (EarthKAM) program completed its Expedition Three observations this week, and the camera was deactivated. The electronic camera captured and sent back more than 650 images during Expedition Three. Approximately 2,000 students from 19 schools around the world participated in this program, developed by the University of California, San Diego.

The Active Rack Isolation System ISS Characterization Experiment completed a pair of isolation tests on Tuesday and collected vibration data when EXPPCS was powered up. A valve opens and closes when the experiment is powered up and down. This research, developed by The Boeing Company, is aimed at perfecting a vibration dampening system to protect delicate microgravity experiments from disturbances caused by crew activities or motors, valves and other machinery.

Among the targets uplinked to the station for the Crew Earth Observations photography program this week were: Chilean glaciers, Europe's Mediterranean basin, the Parana River in Argentina, fault lines in Ethiopia, development in the Tigris-Euphrates Rivers area of Turkey, smog along the Appalachians in the United States, changes in the Ganges River delta in India, vegetation on the Somalia coast, land use around Alexandria, Egypt. Used in many environmental and other scientific studies, this long running research is managed by NASA's Johnson Space Center.

On a task list of optional items for the crew if their schedule permits this week are the Interactions survey, Crew Earth Observations and Dreamtime high definition TV videography.

The crew continues normal maintenance and status checks on payloads to make sure they are operating normally. Other experiments onboard continue to operate normally, including the Advanced Protein Crystalization Facility, the Materials International Space Station Experiment, Cellular Biotechnology Operations Support System, Dynamically Controlled Protein Crystal Growth, and Bonner Ball Neutron Detector.

The Payload Operations Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages all science research experiment operations aboard the International Space Station. The center is also home for coordination of the mission-planning work of a variety of international sources, all science payload deliveries and retrieval, and payload training and payload safety programs for the Station crew and all ground personnel.